Director Na Hong-jin Teases 'HOPE' at Comic-Con Ahead of North American Release

Director Na Hong-jin met with local fans in advance at Comic-Con ahead of the North American release of "HOPE" on September 9.

Director Na Hong-jin attended San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 23, for a meaningful encounter with the audience. Comic-Con is the world's largest pop culture festival spanning movies, series, comics, games, and more, serving as a global event where major Hollywood studios unveil their new works each year.

The panel, hosted by Joanna Robinson, a podcaster for The Ringer and pop culture critic, took place in Ballroom 20, the second-largest venue at Comic-Con, drawing about 4,000 attendees and demonstrating explosive interest in "HOPE".

Prior to the main event that day, a special montage video featuring Na Hong-jin's previous works including "The Chaser", "The Yellow Sea", and "The Wailing" was screened, heating up the auditorium.

Taking the stage, Director Na Hong-jin stated, "'HOPE' carries the message I have continued from my previous works, but its style and narrative tone are completely different. I hope you will let go of preconceived notions or expectations about my previous works and watch the film." He continued with a diverse discussion covering the film's overwhelming scale, the strong female characters that drew passionate responses from the audience, and the global attention directed toward the project.

Following this, an opening video featuring Jung Hoyeon in the role of "Sung-ae" along with unreleased footage from the main feature was screened. Hot-button action sequences that have been winning over Korean audiences were unveiled, including a scene where "Beom-seok" (Hwang Jung-min) struggles in a chaotic town office and encounters an alien, as well as a scene where "Sung-ki" (Zo In-sung) on horseback and others in a patrol car race side-by-side down a road while facing pursuit by "Mabeyo", generating an enthusiastic response.

Director Na Hong-jin noted that while that footage wasn't the most difficult to shoot, he picked the scene where characters ride horses and flee through the forest as the highest in shooting difficulty. He then heaped praise on Jung Hoyeon, saying, "Actor Jung Hoyeon had to undergo driving training for six months. She learned everything from starting the car without stalling to pulling off very difficult drifts. On set, she even acted while driving."

During the Q&A with the audience, Director Na Hong-jin directly answered various questions about the film, further heightening the energy of the venue.

"HOPE" begins as "Beom-seok", the head of the Hopohang branch office located in the Demilitarized Zone, hears news from local youths that a tiger has appeared, leading to an emergency across the entire village and an unbelievable reality. The film surpassed 3 million moviegoers nationwide in 11 days after its release.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)